Non-propulsion attachment for rockets



1958 c. R. ROQUEMORE 2,866,413

NON-PROPULSION ATTACHMENT FOR ROCKETS Filed Aug. 4, 1953 IN V EN TOR.

19, 5, BiASS R. ROQUEMQRE @fi% ATTORNEYS a United States Patent N (IN-PROPULSION ATTACHMENT FOR ROCKETS Cass R. Roquemore, China Lake, Calif., assignor to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy Application August 4, 1953, Serial No. 372,407

3 Claims. (Cl. 102-49) (Granted under Title 35, U. S. (lode (1952), see. 266) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the pay- In the interest of safety, it has been the practice in the past to transport rocket ammunition to a forward war theatre depot, such as a staging r firing area, in disassembled condition to prevent propulsion of the ammunition which might accidently or otherwise occur if it were transported in assembled condition and prematurely ignited by unauthorized means. While this practice has rendered the ammunition relatively safe, it has certain disadvantages in that the assembly of the ammunition must be made at a location Where time and manpower are at a high premium, rather than at a rear depot where these elements are at a lesser premium, and also in that the disassembled components of the ammunition require greater shipping space than the assembled am.- munition. It will be apparent, therefore, that such ammunition, if transported in assembled form, but still retaining the desired safety feature of being non-propulsive, would have considerable advantage over the former practice of transporting same in disassembled form. Additionally, the shipment of an assembled rocket eliminates the need for a shipping closure for the forward end of the motor tube, such closure, in certain types of rockets, conslstlng of a threaded plug which also serves as a protector for threads adjacent the forward end of the tube, thus reducing the overall cost of the rocket.

Principal objects of this invention are to provide a simplified removable attachment for a loaded and assembled rocket of present type, without altering the construction of the latter, which renders it non-propulsive until the attachment is removed.

Further objects, advantages and salient features will become more apparent from the description to follow, the appended claims, and the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective of the rear end of a rocket showing the attachment, which forms the subject of the invention, applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal central section through the rocket and attachment of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3-3, Fig. l; and

Fig. 4 is a section taken on line 44, Fig. 2.

Referring in detail to the drawing, rocket 10 is of any conventional type which, in the interests of simplicity of disclosure, has been illustrated as a non-spin type with a single nozzle 11 which conducts the gaseous thrust jet in a rearward direction to effect forward thrust of the rocket. The type illustrated is also provided with a circumferential retaining groove 12 which cooperates with ice the launching tube in a manner well understood in the art.

The attachment which forms the subject of the invention comprises a metallic cup-shaped member 13, formed by drawing, having a cylindrical wall 14, closed at one end thereof by a wall 15, wall 13 having a plurality of angularly spaced apertures 16 therein, communicating nozzle 11 with the outside of the member.

Wall 14 is provided with an internal annular groove 17, substantially half round in cross section, which surrounds retaining groove 12. A slot or aperture 18 extends through the wall rendering grooves 12, 17 accessible to permit threading a flexible member 19 therein and into the position best shown in Fig. 3. When in this position cross section's of the flexible member lie partly within groove 12 and partly within groove 17, serving as a shear member to prevent relative axial movement between rocket 10 and attachment 15. A handle 20, aflixed to wall 15, may be manually grasped to apply the attachment to the rocket, prior to application of member 19 in the mating grooves, or to remove it from the rocket after member 19 is removed from the grooves. Member 19 may be a solid rod, tube, coil spring, cable or other member of suflicient flexibility to permit it to be readily threaded into and out of the mating grooves through aperture 18.

In the use of the attachment the rocket is fully assembled at a rear depot, in the same manner as it would formally have been assembled at the forward depot, and the attachment applied thereto. When the rocket reaches a desired forward depot the attachment is removed from the rocket after which the rocket is ready for firing.

In event the rocket is fired accidently or otherwise during shipment and while the attachment is disposed over the rear end of same the gases passing through nozzle 11 will be deflected by wall 15 into a plane perpendicular to the rocket axis and will pass radially through aligned apertures 16. The number of apertures and the spacing thereof is so chosen that the thrust in any particular radical direction is nullified by the thrust in a diametrically opposite radial direction.

While a non-spin type of rocket has been illustrated for simplicity of disclosure, it will become apparent that the rocket may be of the spin stabilized type having a plurality of angularly spaced canted nozzles which effect spin. In the latter construction, and in the absence of the present device, the rocket would rotate as well as move axially if it were ignited by unauthorized means. With the present device, however, rotation, as well as axial thrust, is nullified since the gases issuing from the nozzles in canted directions are deflected to finally issue in radial directions in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the rocket.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be pnacticed otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed is:

1. A thrust nullifier for use with a rocket of the type having a circumferential launcher retainer groove near its rear end, said nullifier comprising an integral member including a substantially cylindrical wall closed at one end by an end wall, a portion of said cylindrical wall adapted to telescope over the rear end of the rocket and over the retainer groove, an internal [annular groove in said portion adapted to surround sa-id retainer groove, an aperture through the cylindrical Wall connecting with said grooves, a flexible member adapted to be threaded in either of opposite directions through the aperture and into said grooves to lie partly in each for preventing separation of the nullifier and rocket, and a plurality of angularly spaced apertures in the cylindrical wall through which gas from the rocket may issue in such radial directions that no substantial transverse forces are applied to the rocket, both ends of said flexible member being accessible through the aperture for removal of the" flexible member.

27 In a rocket of the type having a circumferential launcher retainer groove near its rear end and at least one nozzle through which gas may issue rearwardly t0 normally effect forward thrust to the rocket, the rocket being provided with a thrust nullifier having means for detachably securing it to said groove and constructed and arranged to deflect gas issuing from the rocket to such radial directions that no substantial transverse forces are applied to the rocket, whereby the rocket remains substantially immovable when gas issues therefrom, the improvements wherein saidrneans comprises; an internal annular groove in a wall of the nullifier adapted to surround said retainer groove, there being an aperture through said wall connecting with said grooves, and a flexible member adapted to be threaded in either of opposite directions through the aperture and into said grooves to lie partly in each for preventing separation of the nullifier and rocket, both ends of saidflexible member being accessible through the aperture for removal of the flexible member.

3. A thrust nullifier for a rocket of the type having an external circumferential launcher retainer groove adjacent its rear end and at least one nozzle adjacent its rear end through which gas may issue to normally effect axial thrust to the rocket, comprising; a tubular member having angularly spaced apertures in its peripheral wall, and a Wall closing the rear end of the peripheral Wall adapted to deflect gas issuing rearwardly from the rocket to directions to issue substantially radially outwardly through the apertures, and means adapted to be disposed around the rocket and groove including peripherally extending means adapted to engage the groove, said first named means being connected to the tubular member in such manner to secure it to the rocket against rearward axial .eparation therefrom, said first named means comprising an internal annular groove in said tubular member adapted to surround said retainer groove, an aperture through'the Wall of the tubular member connecting with said grooves, and a flexible member adapted to be threaded in either of opposite directions through the aperture and into said grooves to lie partly in each to prevent said axial separation, both ends of said flexible member being accessible through the aperture for removal of the flexible member.

References (Iited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,560,623 Towner Nov. 10, 1925 2,127,086 McGrath Aug. 16, 1938 2,458,714 Mahoney Jan. 11, 1949 2,804,822 Meneghelli Sept. 3, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 188,945 Great Britain Nov. 23, 1922 612,998 Great Britain Nov. 19, 1948 

